Disclaimer: I own all the rights to the entire Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. I'm kidding. I don't own anything. That would be ludicrous.

Chapter 2

The first thing Elizabeth saw when she walked through the door of the small, inconspicuous shop assured her beyond a doubt that she was in the right place.

Swords. The walls were absolutely covered in swords of all shapes and sizes, everything from the most basic to the most intricate.

The second thing she was Will Turner, fast asleep with his head on his arms, resting against one of the display cases. Not wanting to wake him if she didn't have to, she moved toward an intriguing sword hanging on the main display wall. It was mounted squarely in the middle, and small amounts of empty space had been left around it, giving it an air of prominence.

It was beautiful. The blade was polished to perfection, reflecting the soft overhead lights breathtakingly along its length. The blade was flawless silver, inlaid with delicate gold. Thin, golden-yellow braid hung from the end of the handle as decoration.

"You like that one?"

Elizabeth jumped slightly, and turned to see Will behind her, leaning casually against the counter with his arms folded across a worn blue t-shirt. She glanced down at the rest of his attire and saw an equally worn and faded pair of blue jeans and a dirty pair of black Converse Chucks. She found the outfit surprisingly attractive. Or maybe that was just him. Her sort-of "boyfriend" James almost always wore a dress shirt, more often than not with a tie. He looked nice, but it did become tiresome after a while. She couldn't help wondering how Will would look in one of those shirts… maybe even in a suit. Probably really good. Really, really good…

He was still watching her expectantly, waiting for her to say something. Oops. She turned away, looking back at the sword to hide the fact that she had just turned extremely red.

"Yeah, it's… it's incredible. I love it."

Will came and stood next to her, also looking up at the sword. "Thanks. I could probably get a huge amount of money for it if I sold it, but… well, it's sort of my baby, to tell the truth. I spent so long working on it. I'm not sure I could ever sell it."

"I don't blame you at all," Elizabeth said, smiling at him. "It's amazing. You're very talented."

Will grinned, embarrassed, and shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. Elizabeth found his shyness incredibly endearing.

"So…" Will said at length, finally regaining his voice, "what now?"

"Well, I didn't actually come here intending to buy a sword. I'm not so sure now, though," Elizabeth laughed.

"I could give you the family-and-friends discount," Will offered, still grinning. "And I don't give that to just anyone, mind you."

"Who do you give it to?"

"Jack, Ana, and… my dad… and that's it, really…" He shrugged, looking a little embarrassed again. "It's really just because I swear Jack and my dad are pirates at heart. That's why Jack named his bar the Black Pearl. Supposedly it was some infamous pirate ship, or something. But anyway, they've each got about two or three of these." He gestured toward the swords on the walls.

Elizabeth smiled. "Maybe I'm a pirate at heart, too."

"And what, may I ask, would you do with a sword, Miss Swann?"

"Um…" Elizabeth thought about it for a moment, rather at a loss. "Protect my apartment from intruders."

Will let out a snort of laughter. "Were you just thinking of stabbing indiscriminately, or do you have some hidden sword-wielding talents that you haven't told me about?"

"Maybe I'll take a class."

"They have those sorts of classes around here?"

Elizabeth knew he was teasing her. "What do you know that I don't, Mr. Turner?"

He shrugged innocently. "I was just curious to know where this class exists."

"And I'm curious to know, William, what it is that you're not telling me." Oh my God, am I actually flirting with him? I barely know him!

He made a face. "That's two things you've called me now that I don't especially like."

"You don't even let anyone call you William?"

"Not by choice; my dad does anyway, sometimes."

"Cute," Elizabeth answered. "But if you don't answer my question, I can always just start calling you Willy."

"Ugh. All right, you win." He took down one of the swords mounted on the wall, twirling it expertly in his hand. "What I haven't told you, Elizabeth, is that I myself am more than competent in the use of a sword."

Elizabeth stared at him for a moment. "Really?"

He nodded, grinning that infectious grin of his. "I taught myself."

"Why?" Elizabeth laughed.

He shrugged. "It was different, it was challenging… I was bored…"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Dare I ask what else you do when you're bored?"

"I'm trying to learn French right now."

Elizabeth had to laugh again. "Of course you are."

"Parlez-vous français?"

She shook her head. "Not at all."

"Me neither. I'm bloody awful at it."

Elizabeth found that she could barely stop laughing. "Do you always entertain your customers this much?"

"Not always. But none of my other customers are as beautiful as you." He immediately felt a rush of heat in his face. I definitely did not mean to say that out loud.

Elizabeth smiled almost shyly, blushing as well.

"S-sorry," Will said, practically stuttering in his nervousness.

Elizabeth was about to answer when her watch began to beep insistently. She glanced at it quickly. "I'm going to be late for work if I don't leave now. Tell you what, though… I'll be back to talk about that sword." She moved to the door and opened it, then paused just inside. "You might want to get some more sleep after your long night bailing out that friend of yours."

Will laughed slightly. "Yeah. I'll do that."

She smiled at him one more time, then turned and stepped outside and was gone.

And so the fluffiness begins! Let me know what you think!